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The idea of courage in Mother 1 and 2 is probably best personified by the Flying Men. But courage is a concept with different interpretations. One can be courageous for many different reasons; there’s noble courage, reckless courage, foolish courage, even. And we see these different forms of bravery through the nature of the Flying Men:

Let’s start with EarthBound. Ness’ personal encounter with the Flying Man takes place just outside the Sea of Eden. When spoken to, the Flying Man says, “I am your courage,” and joins Ness on his way to the Sea. But if you continue to bring the Flying Men along, and allow them to be killed, they will eventually become angry, and accuse you of mistaking desperation for courage.
Are the Flying Men right? Could Ness possibly be desperately recruiting them out of fear for what lies ahead in Magicant? Keep in mind, this is also the first time Ness has ever been alone since the very beginning of the game. And now, suddenly he finds himself trapped in his own mind, with his three friends nowhere to be found. Magicant is a scary place, but it also teaches Ness that sometimes one must be able to rely on his own might, rather than the power of others. And with that, Ness learns an important lesson about true courage: the will to protect oneself and others from evil, in spite of dread or uncertainty. With this wisdom, he is able to defeat the Nightmare and conquer his fears and doubts. This triumph is what allowed Ness to transition from a normal boy to a true hero, and it definitely played a role in the final battle against Giygas.

Now let’s talk about Mother. The Flying Men appear there as well, only this time they were implemented by Maria in order to protect Ninten. This is very similar to George creating the robot EVE to protect his great-grandson. They will tell you that their sole purpose is to protect you, but why? Well, in this scenario, the Flying Men might be better described as a representation of Maria’s maternal instinct. I mean, their very creation was for the intention of assisting Ninten on his quest, so perhaps Queen Mary can subconsciously recognize her great-grandson. This would explain why everyone in Magicant “loves” Ninten, and helps him by giving him items and other means of aid. Maria may have been lending Ninten her courage in order to help him, and this courage naturally took the form of the Flying Man, just like how her love took the form of a melody…